Electric engine-starter.



M. P. MITCHELL. ELECTRIC ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14,I914.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Witnesses lnventqr by Attorneys- M. P. MITCHELL. ELECTRIC ENGINESTARTER.

Patented Feb 15,1916 3 SHEETSSHEET 2- Jan/122w];

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M. P. MITCHELL. I ELECTRIC ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 14 19M. 1,171,867.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- flmzwzz Inventor, I y 1 I r I Attorneys,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARY PIERSON MITCHELL, OF EATON, 0HIO.- if

ELECTRIC ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application filed March 14, 1914. Serial No. 824,829.

engine shaft may be .rotated at the primary starting of the enginethrough the instrumentality of an electric motor and aselectivemechanism controlled manually for connecting said motor to operatethe'engine shaft, thus providing a means'wh'ereby the chauffeur oroperator seated within the motor car may operate the present inventionto start the engine through the electric motor, without the necessityvof manually cranking the same.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of atransmission mechanism-o'perably connected to the crank shaft of anexplosion engine, whereby an electric motor may be selected manually tocrank the engine,.there being connected to the crank shaft and thetransmission mechanism a noiseless chain, whereby the friction of suchactuation is reduced to a minimum, and the chain and gears runpractically noiselessly both when the motor is under torque and isoperating to crank the engine and when the engine shaft is operatingexplosively and running the noiseless chain and its sprocket freely. I

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear asthedescription proceeds, the invention resides inthe combi nation andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the present invention asappliedto a motor car explosive engine. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of theforward end of a motor car showing the present invention applied to theengine and crank shaft thereof. Fig. 3 is'a section taken on line 3-3 ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed top plan view showing a modifiedform of transmission. Fig. 5

is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuit for operating themotor.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the explosionengine, having the crank shaft In this instance a disk 3 is keyed to thecrank shaft and is providedofapluralwith the teeth 4 for the receptionity of noiseless sprocket chains 5, which constitute an exceedinglysimple and satisfactory transmission, giving the proper wide bear-' ingsurface and at i the same time, the desired gripping surface andproducing no noise when operating either under stress when the shaft 2is being cranked at the initial starting of the engine or the same isrunnin freely due to the rotation of the crank sha t when the engine isoperating explosively. A sprocket wheel 6 which is of smaller diameterthan the sprocket wheel 3 is keyed upon a counter shaft 7, said shaftbeing journaled in the brackets 8-8, and disposed in' parallel to thecrank shaft 2. A pinion 9 is keyed upon the shaft 7 so that said shaftmay be properly driven from the electric motor 11 provided with andcarrying the shaft 10 which as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is disposedparallel to and between the crank shaft 2 and the counter shaft 7. Apinion 12 is splined for sliding movement upon the shaft 10 andthrough'the grooved spool 13, which is integral therewith and the forkedend 1% of the operating lever '15, the same is moved into and out ofmesh with the gear 9, so that at the desired time, the electric motor 11operate the shaft 7 and consequently through the chain 5 to rotate a ndcrank the engine.

In order to provide a means for operating the lever 15, a rod 16 isconnected thereto and 1s extended rearwardly to and for conmay beconnected to nection with the foot lever 17 which is in ready access tothe operator within the mothe battery B will operate the motor 11andconsequently rotate the crank shaft so that the engine 1- will bestarted and permitted to act thereafter explosively. A spring 18 isconnected to the lever 15, so as to automatically throw the gear 12 outof mesh with the leased.

' As shown in Fig. 4., a shaft 19 isinte'rgear 9 as soon as the footlever 17 is re-f'llo posed to permit of the reduction of speed to agreater degree from the motor 11 to the crank shaft 2 than in theinstallation heretofore described. In this instance, the splined gear 12is mounted upon the shaft 19, while the gear 20 Which is keyed thereuponis in mesh at all times With the small gear 21 carried by the shaft 10'of the electric'inoto-r ll. The grooved spool 13 of the pinion 12 isoperated by means of the :fork 14 of the leverl5', said lever beingoperated by a foot lever, as heretofore described so that the gear 12may be placed in mesh with the gear 9 and thus properly connect themotor l1 with the crank shaft 2.

What is claimed is: A gearing comprising three parallel shafts, onebeing a driving shaft and being disposed between the other two, sprocketWheels upon said two shafts, a sprocket chain trained around saidsprocket Wheels, a gear secured upon one of said two shafts, one end ofthe first mentioned shaft terminating short of said sprocket chain andthe other end thereof projecting beyond that shaft having the gear, agear slidable upon the first mentioned shaft into and out of

